Ala Kachuu: Three times raped.

She. She is Kyrgyz. She is young. She is at secondary school. She was raped three times.

In August 2012, a female young student went out with her friend, who had introduced her to a man. After meeting her, the man snatched her mobile phone and forcibly took her to a vacant field, where he raped her.

The man, her rapist, her abductor and soon to be her husband, with the help of his friends took the young girl to his home village where preparations for a wedding were ready to commence. Despite her repeated requests to be released, the relatives of the kidnapper and the kidnapper himself threatened her to stay. They called her parents and expressed that this was actually a consensual and voluntary matrimony.

Fortunately her parents came and took their daughter home that very night.

The following day, she spent most of her day in bed, concealing the rape, trying to forget.

In the evening she eventually left the house to collect some water, and as she strolled outside she was once again taken by the same kidnapper and his two friends. Again using force they took her into the car, confiscated her phone and was taken back to the house of the “groom”. En route to his home, she was raped again. It can be assumed this was in the presence of the other passengers in the vehicle.

In the “groom’s” home, he once again threatened her, on this occasion in he forced her to write a letter of agreement for marriage, akin to a marriage contract. fortunately, once again, the parents of the young student once again took their daughter home, and this time filed a complaint to the law enforcement agency.

Frail from the experience, emotionally crippled, further rumours from the community alluding to her losing her virginity, led her to try to commit suicide.

A month later, on September 9th, the same “groom” for the third time took her again, this time his extremities extended to tieing her to his hand and transporting her by public transport. She was noticed by her relative, who reported this to the police. The young girl in this case and the kidnapper were shockingly detained together, and kept overnight in the same prison cell. Throughout this night she was subjected to constant threats and abuse by the kidnapper.

It was only in the morning that the young girl’s family was able to seek her release from prison. The young girl has now, with her family sought help from us at our Sezim centre in Bishkek and is undergoing counselling and being offered legal advice.

The rapist was detained and kept for further investigation, but it is still unknown if he has been charged.

Such incidents of repeated rape and violent abductions, despite the illegality of Ala Kachuu, still continue.

You can help change this by supporting our Ala Kachuu project to continue providing victims psychological counselling, legal advice and offering a safe refuge and transit centre, whilst also undertaking much needed outreach work to combat the practice.